World famous pop star to perform in Ukraine’s capital in June.
There seems to be a new tradition emerging at Kyiv concert venues: while there are no cool concerts in Kyiv for most of the year, all of a sudden at the beginning of summer several big, unexpected names decide to visit. Last year those were the Black Eyed Peas and Jamiroquai. This summer, the concert season will be opened by none other than George Michael.
His Kyiv gig hasn’t been announced officially yet, and remains more of a rumor. However, this rumor is probably right, since Michael’s official website features the Kyiv concert on the tour schedule page. It’s placed right under Moscow – Kyiv, July 9, Olympic stadium.
Personally, I don’t have any special feelings for George Michael as a musician. The only song of his I know well and like is his winter hit “Last Christmas,” which he released while he was still part of the Wham! duo. However it’s hard to underestimate George’s place in the history of pop music, and though he’s not so high on the popularity list right now, it’s easy to predict that all the shows of his summer European tour, dubbed “Live 25,” will be packed.
George Michael is one of those show biz figures who generate their popularity not only through their musical talents, but also through all kinds of controversies and scandals. Michael has had it all: from an incident at a public restroom in Beverly Hills in 1998, where he was arrested for “engaging in a lewd act,” to having to go to court for drug problems because of passing out while driving a car in London last year.
Despite it all, however, George seems to take to everything with a great sense of humor, which is not typical for pop stars. For instance, in the video for the single “Outside,” Michael mocked the policeman who arrested him for the restroom incident, while in the video for “Shoot the Dog,” made as a cartoon with animation similar to that of the show “Beavis and Butthead,” released in 2002, Michael satired the “friendship” of George Bush and Tony Blair in a way that brought the singer yet another scandal and media coverage all over the world.
